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Judy and John DeRight, looking to diversify their investment portfolios, have retained Angus Cartwright, Jr. to identify prospective real estate acquisitions. Mr. Cartwright has four potential properties that he feels merit an in-depth financial analysis. The case provides an opportunity to examine the various components of real estate return—cash flow, tax benefits, and futures—and measure the profitability of a proposed investment through the calculation of net present value, internal rate of return, and capitalization rate.

Two soon-to-be MBA graduates are considering a business opportunity in the boutique hotel industry. Having found a seemingly attractive property in Savannah, Georgia, Yvonne D'Arcy and Elisabeth Whiting face questions about career issues, planning, financing, and the possibility of unequal power dynamics. Students assess the merits of the proposed project, as well as the overall attractiveness of the boutique hotel industry and the career opportunity it presents. Exhibits include a Letter of Agreement between D'Arcy and Whiting, the hotel's historical performance data, lodging statistics for the Savannah market, and the project budget. An associated case, "Hotel Vertu: Financing the Venture in the Boutique Hotel Industry" (917-505), overlaps with this case but delves into the issues around financial forecasts, financial returns, deal structure, equity splits, and the power dynamic between investors and entrepreneurs. Although each case can be taught on its own (i.e., students do not require data or knowledge from one case in order to benefit fully from the other), the two can be paired in order to give students a more complete sense of the challenges that aspiring entrepreneurs may face. If both cases are taught, it is recommended that instructors begin with "Hotel Vertu: Analyzing the Opportunity in the Boutique Hotel Industry."